• London 2012 - Swimming

Chinese swimmer's world record raises suspicions

Ye Shiwen's 400m IM gold medal has raised suspicions © Getty Images

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China's teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen has become embroiled in a doping controversy after one of the sport's top coaches described her gold medal display as "unbelievable" and "disturbing".

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John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association did not directly accuse the 16-year-old of doping, but admitted her world record performance in the women's 400m individual medley was "suspicious".

Ye has raises suspicion after her final 100m freestyle leg, in which she clocked 58.68 seconds, was a quicker split than American Ryan Lochte, who won the men's 400m IM event in the second-fastest time in history.

Leonard compared Ye's performance to that of Irish swimmer Michelle Smith (now Michelle De Bruin), who won gold in the same event at the 1996 Atlanta Games before being banned for four years in 1998 after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

"We want to be very careful about calling it doping," Leonard said. "The one thing I will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I will put quotation marks around this, 'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved.

"That last 100m was reminiscent of some old East German swimmers, for people who have been around a while. It was reminiscent of the 400m individual medley by a young Irish woman in Atlanta. Any time someone has looked like superwoman in the history of our sport they have later been found guilty of doping."

Ye, who qualified for the 200m individual medley final on Monday, insisted she was clean. "The Chinese team keep very firmly to the anti-doping policies, so there is absolutely no problem," she said.

Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission, insists he has no suspicions over Ye.

"Should I have my suspicions I keep them for myself, first of all, and take any action, if so, in order to find out whether something is wrong or not. You ask me specifically about this particular swimmer. I say no, I have not personally any reason other than to applaud what has happened, until I have further facts, if so."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.